Joseph Stalin Insecure

Joseph Stalin once said, “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.” This extremely paranoid man was responsible for the death of millions. He was a completely insecure individual. He reinvented himself and became a new more powerful person to contrast against the insecurity he had about his powerlessness and weakness. Stalin’s actions throughout his life were the result of insecurities that he had about himself and overcompensating for these insecurities, while projecting his insecurities onto others.

Stalin sought to gain power over others through various unethical means much like how Brutus in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” sought power over others. When Brutus was discussing how the conspirators should go about killing Caesar, he said, “We shall be call’d purgers, not murderers.” Pride blinded Brutus to the truth of how people would view his actions. He thought that simply because he viewed his actions as just, then everyone else would have to as well because of his pride telling him that if anyone is right it is going to be himself. Stalin attacked his political opponents in a series of “purges” to destroy his political opposition. Pride blinded Stalin to the realization that his way may not possibly always be the right way and that he is not always correct. Stalin presumed that anyone who was against him must be wrong because he is never wrong and always right, for him to be wrong would be impossibility, so the only way to insure that he was always right was to destroy any opinions that differed from his own. Pride prohibits people from seeing the truth, only recognizing their own views and wants while completely ignoring the views and wants of others.

Stalin felt inferior to others physically and in the way of responsibility for success in the past, so to rectify this, he praised himself. Stalin had various physical deformities, such as smallpox scars on his face and a withered left hand. Stalin felt inferior to others because of his appearance and the flaws he had. Insecurity forced Stalin to overcompensate by exuding power over others and having to be more intellectual than others as well. Throughout the USSR there were posters that Stalin had made, which read, “Thank you Comrade Stalin for a happy childhood.” Arrogance supported by Stalin egocentrically forced him to think that he was the reason for all good that has happened. Self-centeredness blinded Stalin to the truth that few thought that he was to thank for their childhood happiness, so he thanked himself by displaying these posters. Inferiority caused Stalin to overcompensate with power and force over others, which eventually led to an arrogance that told Stalin that he was responsible for all of the good that others experienced in their lifetime.